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It’s been four years since I learned that one of my best friends has a potentially deadly disease.

It feels like yesterday. She told me on a Saturday. I was working in Tennessee, driving to an assignment, when she told me, “I found out yesterday that I have lupus.”

I just remember a pause and her saying, “Hello?” a couple of times.

I didn’t know how to respond. I think I told her everything was going to be OK. But I wasn’t sure.

I was scared out of my mind. All I’d ever heard about lupus was bad, and I immediately thought the worst.

After the initial shock wore off, I started doing research. So did she and the rest of our friends.

We did so much research, we really scared ourselves, but then we all saw that this was something she could live with if maintained properly.

She told us about her medications, and we researched those, too. We found out what needed to be done and we decided that we were doing it — together.

Here we are four years, a couple of weddings and a few kids later. We’re all here, we’re all healthy and ready to celebrate the life of our friend living with lupus.

A few of us will be walking with her May 2 in Charlotte.

We’re all getting together to make T-shirts for our team, “He’s Able.”
I’m also attempting to raise $100 for lupus research.

While this disease does not discriminate, 90 percent of the people with lupus are women and eight of 10 new cases develop in women of childbearing age, according to the U.S. Office of Minority Health.

Because lupus is so hard to diagnose and there are no known causes, research needs to be done, and I intend to do my part to help.

If you want to help, too, follow the link from this story at news-record.com/community or send me an e-mail.
Every little bit helps.

Contact Tiffany S. Jones at 373- 7157 or tiffany.jones@news-record.com